Dhs Program Specialist

Human Services Program Specialist – Food Program (Knox County, Tennessee)

Full‑time, hybrid work arrangement.

Knoxville, TN. Department:
Human Services.

This classification performs human services program evaluation and consultative work. Employees in this class are responsible for evaluating human services program delivery or interpreting policy and procedure for a region, central office reviewer, or policy writer. This role differs from the DHS Program Coordinator, whose primary responsibility is policy development and coordinating program delivery.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree and five years of full‑time professional experience in social services, human services, education, accounting, auditing, program policy development, federal program contract management, case management, eligibility determination, or social services grant coordination.
• Graduate coursework in any social services field may substitute for required experience, on a year‑for‑year basis, up to a maximum of two years.
• Additional full‑time professional experience may substitute for the required education, on a year‑for‑year basis, up to a maximum of four years.
• Experience equivalent to three years in human services work as a state employee or under contract with the State of Tennessee.

Necessary Special

Qualifications:

• Complete a criminal history disclosure form in a manner approved by the appointing authority.
• Agree to release all records involving criminal history to the appointing authority.
• Supply a fingerprint sample prescribed by the TBI‑based criminal history records clerk.

• Identify training needs and develop or conduct specialized training for staff, contracted agencies, and community organizations.
• Review casework and provide guidance and direction to staff; monitor individual or group performance and provide feedback to supervisors.
• Review existing policies and procedures, suggesting improvements to enhance service delivery, quality, and timeliness; evaluate effectiveness of program delivery.
• Act as a technical liaison, reviewing, interpreting, and explaining current or updated policies and procedures to staff, contractors, or partners, ensuring clear understanding, implementation, and compliance with regulations.
• Disseminate program information and promote divisional programs to staff, providers, internal/external partners, contractors, and the public; develop and maintain constructive relationships with internal/external partners to accomplish specific tasks and projects.
• Identify, develop, and implement long‑range objectives and strategies to improve quality of service, achieve program goals, and ensure efficiency; analyze information and evaluate results to determine the best solutions and solve problems.
• Compile, categorize, calculate, verify, and/or analyze data, statistics, or other information from various systems and external sources to ensure adherence and support leadership in strategic initiatives.
• May provide input into new technologies and assist with user acceptance testing.

• Decision Quality
• Optimizes Work Processes
• Organizational Savvy
• Communicates Effectively
• Situational Adaptability

• Customer and Personal Service
• Clerical
• Law and Government

• Active Learning and Listening
• Complex Problem Solving
• Critical Thinking
• Judgment and Decision Making
• Reading Comprehension

• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Problem Sensitivity
• Written Comprehension

• General Office Equipment
• Computer/Laptop/Tablet